Fears over banknote forgeries in Ripon

Finola Fitzpatrick

A Ripon shop owner is urging retailers across the city to be vigilant, after a fellow trader accepted forged banknotes through its tills this week.

Jane Fisher, the owner of The Pet Shop on the Market Square, said at least two £20 notes have been circulated among Ripon’s independent businesses over the last week.

Jane said the forgeries had been cleverly crafted to avoid the detection of money checker tests, and also took to social media on behalf of the city’s Chamber of Trade to raise the alarm.

Jane said: “When you are a small business, you can’t afford to lose any money, and retailers face enough challenges as it is. I don’t like to think of these things happening in our city, we’re only a small city and it’s not nice.

“These are very good, cleverly done forgeries, and I can understand how they got through the tills, they are so realistic. Without touching them you wouldn’t really know, there isn’t much difference, they are just slightly different in colour and texture.

“It’s clear that people have been using the £20 notes to buy very low value items and keep the change. For our staff, the advice I’ll be giving is, if they are in any doubt about a note and it’s a low value item being purchased, don’t accept it.

“It’s not worth it for the sake of then finding it’s not going to be accepted at the bank. I think £50 notes are easier to detect as forgeries, because it’s quite rare that you get them anyway.

“But £20 notes which you can get out of a cash point at any time, they are harder to pick up on I think.

“It’s very worrying that this is going on, but I think it’s just a case of staying vigilant and making sure people are aware of it.

Dozens of businesses and concerned city residents have taken to Facebook to share the Ripon and District Chamber of Trade’s original warning about the forgeries.

Email finola.fitzpatrick@jpress.co.uk with your Ripon news, or call 01423 707505 to get in touch.